Longtime Malibu resident Christian Barslund Nielsen, a New Jersey native, died last Thursday. He was 91.
Nielsen graduated in 1938 from Washington and Lee University in Virginia, where he was a member of the varsity wrestling team. He learned to fly at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla. He then joined Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica to test aircraft. On one occasion, both wings broke of an aircraft, forcing the crew to leave the plane. They were able to parachute to the ground safely.
Nielsen left Douglas in 1956 to be come an account executive with Dean Witter & Co. He and his wife, Martha, settled in Malibu. They designed and built their Malibu home. Retiring in 1980, Nielsen enjoyed time with his wife, traveling, backpacking and being active in community affairs. A life member of the Optimist International and a charter member of the Malibu Optimist Club, Nielsen was also a lifetime member of the Malibu Navy League and a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Westlake Village. The Nielsens had recently moved to Thousand Oaks.
The Witness to the Resurrection will take place at Westminster Presbyterian Church, located at 3211 Watergate Road in Westlake Village, on Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. Memorials may be made to Malibu Optimist Club, P.O. Box 501, Malibu, CA 90265 or Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3211 Watergate Road, Westlake road, Westlake Village, CA 91361.